1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to structures and methods of thermal management in a data center, and, in particular, to a header panel assembly for installation above electronic equipment enclosures in a hot aisle containment structure.
2. Background
Rack-mounted computer and data storage equipment generates heat during normal operation. When equipment is enclosed in racks, cabinets and other electronic equipment enclosures (hereinafter, collectively, referred to as “enclosures”), heat generated by the equipment can concentrate within the enclosure and cause equipment to overheat and shut down. Thus, proper thermal management is a fundamental aspect of the installation and use of such equipment. Moreover, thermal management is particularly important in data centers in which multiple enclosures are installed, each with heat-generating equipment mounted therein.
Many techniques and solutions have been proposed and used with regard to thermal management in such data centers. One such solution involves utilization of a containment structure to receive heated exhaust air from enclosures installed in the data center or computer room. Enclosures are typically arranged in a row facing with their sides abutting one another. Cool air is drawn into the enclosures from outside the containment structure to cool the equipment mounted in each enclosure. Heated exhaust air is then expelled from the enclosures into a common area within the containment structure, which is segregated from the supply of cool air. Heated exhaust air may then be routed from the containment structure and cooled before being re-circulated into the supply of cool air.
A common difficulty encountered in many known containment structures involves co-mingling of the heated exhaust air with the supply of cool air, which negatively impacts efficiency in the system. Co-mingling may occur for a variety of reasons, but often arises in connection with openings or gaps surrounding enclosures that are installed in the structure. If a gap exists after an enclosure is installed in the structure, heated exhaust air has the potential to travel through the gap and back into the supply of cool air, thereby reducing cooling efficiency in the system. For example, the gaps that have long existed between the tops of enclosures and the ceiling or other structure above the enclosures permit recirculation of heated air that has been exhausted from the rear of an enclosure over the enclosure where it mingles with the cooling air being supplied to the front of the enclosure for intake therein.
Additionally, openings or gaps in the containment structure may have the effect of causing equipment located near the gap to run at a higher operating temperature as warmer air that escapes from within the containment structure is drawn back in to cool the equipment. As a result, over time, such equipment may have a decreased operating life relative to other equipment installed therein.
Further issues may arise if enclosures with varying dimensions are installed within the same containment structure. For example, if enclosures with different vertical dimensions happen to be installed adjacent to one another within the same containment structure, differently-sized panels or blanks must be used to seal off any gaps that are formed above the enclosures. If such panels do not provide a good fit to seal the gap, then inefficiency is likely to exist as heated exhaust air escapes from the containment structure and mixes with the supply of cool air.
Accordingly, a need exists for a containment system that avoids the shortcomings of known containment structure solutions. This, and other needs, are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.